IGTAP: an Incremental Game That’s Also a Platformer

A Fresh Take on Incremental Games

Complete short platforming courses, earn power, and use those earnings to improve production and movement. Better upgrades lead to more power, while new movement skills unlock different courses, faster routes, and more ways to improve each run.

IGTAP: an Incremental Game That’s Also a Platformer also puts a strong focus on clones. Build up an army of them and send them along an efficient route while power continues to pile up in the background. Once the setup is running, the idle side can take over, but there is always the option to jump back in and play actively.

Exploration adds another layer. Hidden bonuses are scattered around the world, giving players another reason to poke around rather than simply following the most obvious route.

Platforming That Rewards Practice

The platforming is easily one of the strongest parts of the experience. Movement feels responsive, the levels are thoughtfully designed, and most stages offer at least two possible routes. As new abilities become available, previously familiar courses can suddenly have much quicker paths.

That makes mechanical skill matter in a genre where it usually does not. Instead of simply waiting for numbers to increase, better movement and better decisions can directly improve the results of a run.

The combination feels a bit like Mario and Cookie Clicker got together and made something dangerously addictive. The controls are easy enough to pick up quickly, but the actual challenges can be seriously demanding. A solid run can earn enough clones to keep things moving while stepping away to do something else.

Idle When You Want, Active When You Want

One of IGTAP: an Incremental Game That’s Also a Platformer’s best ideas is that it never forces the player into a purely idle playstyle. Finish a course once, let the automated systems build up resources, and leave IGTAP running in the background. Or stay involved and keep chasing faster times.

That choice gives the progression loop more personality. There is always another route to learn, another movement trick to improve, or another time to beat.

The demo’s B-sides also show how far the difficulty can be pushed. They provide much tougher versions of the platforming challenges, making a successful clear feel considerably more rewarding. Getting through a difficult level is satisfying enough, but finally mastering one after repeated attempts feels even better.